Mine-door-operating mechanism



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H. CJLIGGETT ET AL MINEDOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed y-27. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuenfow Erman W Liggeti to become grounded.

onrrln HUGH C. LIGGETT, ROY PETERSON, AND SHERMAN W. LIGGETT, 0F SALINEVILLE, OHIO.

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Application filed May-27, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HUGH C. Lreem'r, Roy PETERSON, and SHERMAN W. Lreonrr, citizens of the United States, residing at Salineville, in the county of Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine- Door-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to mine doors, and particularly to means for automatically operating the mine doors upon the approach of a trip of cars in either direction.

The general object of this invention is to provide a very simple, effective and safe mechanism of this character including a solenoid operatively connected to the doors to shift them from a closed to an open position, the doors being provided with means whereby they are closed after the solenoid is de-energized, and switches disposed in such position that they may be'engaged by the trolley of an approaching car and turned to energize the solenoid as the'car approaches the door, or turned to de-energize the solenoid after the car or trip of cars have passed through the door.

. A'further object is to provide means whereby the doors may be opened and closed in case the current is cut ofl.

Another object is to provide a construction of this kind which does not electrify the rails and which is not, therefore, likely Still another object is to provide a construction of this kind whichis capable of being used either with a single or double door.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a mine track with our improved mine door and operating mechanism associated therewith;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the door and part of the operating mechanism, the rails being in section;

Serial No. 546,022.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through one showing the switches closed to close the circuit through the solenoid, this View also showing a preferable manner of energizing the solenoid by connecting one of the switches to the trolley wire;

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the rails of a mine track and 11 a rectangular door frame which, arches over these rails and which is shown asextending at an acute angle thereto, though it may be disposed at any other angle. ,Hingedly mounted upon the door frame are the doors 12. These doors are provided with hinge leaves 13 and the door frames with hinge leaves 14 which are attached to a vertical shaft 15, one for each door, the lower end of each vertical shaft being mounted in a suitable bearing 16. The lower end of each shaft 15 carries a sector gear 17 these gears facing in the same direction, and coacting with these sector gears is a longitudinally extending rod 18 which has rack teeth 19 adapted to engage with the two sector gears 17 and which forms part of or is connected to the core of a solenoid 20. A spring 21 urges the door operating rack rod 18 in a direction to close the doors, while upon the solenoid being energized the rack rod will shift in the opposite direction to open the doors.

For the purpose .of energizing the solenoid automatically upon the approachof a car to the doorway and de-energizing the solenoid after the car or the train has passed through the doorway, we provide the twoway switches 22 and 23 disposed on opposite sides of the door and adjacent the trolley wire 24. The two-way switches are constructed in any usual or suitable manner,

ordinary commercial switches being used for this purpose, but the stem 25 of each switch carries at its outer end a multibladed actuating member 26. This has four radial blades and each blade is slotted, as at 27, to embrace and straddle the trolley wire 24. One of the wires of the'solenoid 20 is connected to the switch '23, another wire extends to the railway rail, and another wire extends from switch 22 to the trolley wire. The circuits between these two-way switches 22 and 23 are of ordinary type and so arranged that when the trolley of the car moving in-a direction from right to left strikes one of the actuating members 26,-it will rotate it .in a"direction to turn on the current and connect the solenoid with the source of current. This energizes the solenoid and causes the'doors to open. The car then passes through the doorway and eventually its trolley strikes the actuating member 26 ofthe switch 2'3 and turns this actuating member, which cuts off the current. Immediately that the solenoid is de-enfergized, the spring 21 causes the rack barsto move'in an opposite direction and'the doors to'close, and it does not matter in which directi n the car approaches it, will energize the solenoid at a proper point to open the doors and tie-energize the solenoid after it has passed through the doors.

Preferablyeachdoor 12 has attached to it the outwardly projecting, somewhat curved extension 28. These extensions, as illustrated in Figure'l, are curved so as to extend nearly'zparallel to the track when the doors are opened and being for the purpose of preventing the door frombecoming wrecked if the power should happen to go oii with-a train'of cars going through the door. These strips under theseoircumstarices will come incontact witlrthe train of cars and keep the doors open until the train of cars have entirely passed through the doorway.

In 'Figure, 5 we have illustrated diagrammatically the-solenoid 20 as being connected in a normally. interrupted circuit with a battery, such as a storage battery, butpreferably the powerfor actuating the' 'solenoid 20 will be taken from the cable 2%, Tas'illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 6, as where a storage battery is'used the battery must" be renewed atrelatively short intervals or two batteries must be used so that when one is out of'condition the other may be connected in circuit.

It is to be particularly noted withr'egard to this mechanism that it is'very simple, that it does not use an electricinotor of ordinary constructionbuta solenoid acting as a motor for the door, such a solenoid being much less expensive than a regular motor. Furthermore, it is very readily installed, has very simple bearings and connections, and

very little that can possibly get out of order. It will likewise be noted that the actuation of this door is not dependent upon the use of a track rail. Where a track rail is used as part of a circuit for operating the electric door opening mechanism, it must be insulated from adjoining rails and insulated fronitlie ground, and it often happens that a mule has to drag the cars and in this case the mule would be likelyto come in contact with the rail "and "would receive a shock,

which would either cause the mule to run away, or if the current was of sufficient voltage, would kill the mule. Furthermore, it is extremely diflicult to properly insulate a rail of this construction. With our construction there is no insulated rail and nothing which carries the'current which by any chance, could comein contact with a mule o'r witha person.

Of course, we may use either a smgle'idoor or a double door without any departurefrom thespi'rit'of the invention.

While we have illustrated'a construction which is very simple and-thoroughly efie'ctive, obviously we do 'notfwish tobe-limited to the details illustrated, as these details might be varied in many ways without'despar-ting from the principle of theinvention as defined in the appended 'cl'aims.

We claim r 1. The combination 'with a minedoorfiof a track extending through the' doorway and a trolley wire above'the track,'ofmeansfor swinging the door toan open position automatically upon the approach of car: in-the other direction inelu'dingasolenoid disposed in a normally o'penclrcuit with ;a source of energy, a core for the solenoid and connected 7 to a rack, a sector .1 gear operatively connected to the pivotal axis of the door-and actuating said rack, meansnormally urging the rack in-a direct-ionto hold the door closed, the I energizing of the solenoid} causing the shifting ofthe rack to "-openthedoor,

switches disposed one on each;side of the door and connected in circuit 'w ththe source of energy and the solenoid and" adapted to alternately close and openg'sai'd circuit, and switch actuated members d sposedadjacent the trolley wire and adapted to-be-engagerl the door and operating said-rack, means,

normally urging the rack in a directionto hold the door closed, the energizing of the wire and adapted to be engaged by the solenoid causing the shifting of the rack to trolley wheel of the car.

open the door, switches disposed one on each In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our side of the door and disposed in circuit besignatures. tween the solenoid and the trolley wire, each of said switches being adapted to alternately close and open said circuit, and switch actuating members disposed adjacent the trolley HUGH (J. LIGGETT.- ROY PETERSON. SHERMAN W. LIGGETT. 

